


Everything You Mean To Me

by DialedIn



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27683363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DialedIn/pseuds/DialedIn
Summary: Emori has been a single mother for years, with her best friend Raven for support. When John Murphy decides to enter his daughter's life, Raven and Emori's life and relationship is turned upside down.
Relationships: Emori/Raven Reyes
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Everything You Mean To Me

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to my friend Tanya, who lets me sit up all night at work and talk about these fictional characters that I love. Special thanks to my best friend Aryana, who helped me edit and gave me the courage to post this. 
> 
> I haven't written consistently in years, so I gave Tanya a list of tropes, asked her to pick four plus a ship, and this story was born.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“Hurry up, little one,” Emori urged, smiling when she heard Raven’s offkey singing from inside the apartment, “let’s see what’s for dinner.” The little girl at her side gave a broad grin, skipping along ahead into the cozy interior.

“Smells good!” Emori called out as she walked through the front door, dropping her bags haphazardly on the overstuffed chair and strolling into the kitchen.

Raven looked up from the pot she had been focused on, “How was your day?”

“Not bad,”Emori answered, feeling herself beginning to relax now that she was home for the night. “Juno had a good day at daycare, which is always a good thing.”

Raven nodded, a smirk playing on her face, “Yes. Especially now that she’s fully committed to toddlerhood and all its perks.”

Emori laughed loudly, exclaiming, “You said it, not me.” As if she could sense the most important adults in her life talking about her, the dark-haired toddler marched into the kitchen, clutching an armful of stuffed animals.

“Hey sugar!” Raven called, bending down to hug the little girl.

Juno squealed, her delight obvious. “Auntie Raven! I missed you!”

“You did?” Raven replied in mock disbelief, eyes shining with happiness, “Well, I missed you too!”

Emori leaned against the counter, taking in the scene of her daughter and her best friend, and as always, couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

Emori and Raven had met during their junior year of high school, and had become inseparable fairly soon after. Emori had grown up in the foster care system, after being abandoned by her mother at birth. Her medical records were all she had from her infancy, and listed amniotic band syndrome as the reason the fingers on her left hand were misshapen and at best, half functional. Emori had always attributed this to why she had grown up without a family. Making friends as a child had been challenging, both due to her physical differences and the fact that she never seemed to stay in one foster home for more than a year at a time. When Emori had been introduced as the new kid in Raven’s computer science class, Raven had promptly made room at her work station, and in her life, for Emori. The two quickly became inseparable and devoted friends. 

The summer before their senior year, when Raven’s mother crashed their car while drunk, Emori had sat by Raven’s side as the doctors told her she would never walk normally again. Emori supported Raven tirelessly through months of painful physical therapy and emotional devastation at the realization that a leg brace would be a permanent accessory. 

Raven was the first person Emori had told about her period being late, just one month after graduating high school. She had held Emori’s hand when the pregnancy test showed two lines instead of the hoped-for single line. Even if she hadn’t been pregnant and unwed at eighteen, Emori had aged out of the foster system and had moved out of her last foster home a week earlier. Raven took no time at all to set Emori up in the spare bedroom of the apartment she had been renting for herself. When Emori’s water had broken during their weekly movie night almost nine months later, Raven was the one who drove, white knuckled and terrified, to the hospital. Raven was the first person, other than hospital staff, to hold Juno when Emori had needed an emergency cesarean section. Raven had looked into Juno’s bright, questioning eyes, and felt a love she still had trouble describing.

Almost three years later, and the three had fallen into an easy, mostly uncomplicated rhythm. Emori worked as a waitress and while not particularly fun or rewarding, it paid the bills and allowed her some freedom to go to online school part time while raising her daughter. Raven had completed enough trade school to land a decent job as a mechanic at a nearby auto garage. It wasn’t her dream job, but it provided enough stability she felt she could finally relax. 

Juno was the brightest spot in both Emori and Raven’s lives. Even the most stressful days were made bearable by the little girl’s presence. Emori had never pictured herself being a mother, sure that she would inevitably fail, given her poor examples of maternal love. But the very moment she had groggily focused on the dark haired, chubby cheeked baby girl had made the idea of life without Juno impossible.

Most nights at the cozy apartment consisted of Emori and Raven stretched out on the well-worn couch, with Juno sprawled out on one or both of them. They watched cheesy sitcoms and gossiped about their days and the people they interacted with; protecting each other in a way neither had experienced as children.

“So,” Raven started, tossing a piece of popcorn in her mouth, “anything interesting happen at work today?”

Emori swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. She knew she should tell Raven what had happened during her shift, _who_ had appeared at a corner booth in her section during the lunch rush, yet she was having trouble finding the words.

“Mori?” Raven asked, confusion coloring the nickname she often used. “What’s wrong?”

Emori cursed inwardly, it was futile to try and hide anything from Raven, they knew each other too well. She let out a slow deep breath, and turned the words over and over in her head. She looked pointedly at Juno, trying to show Raven that what she was about to say was not something she wanted her daughter to pick up on. “I had a surprising visitor today. At the restaurant. A certain someone from my past.”

Raven’s eyes widened comically. She sucked in a breath and looked hard at Emori, “You’re kidding,” she finally got out, “what did he say?”

Juno, who had been ignoring both Emori and Raven, suddenly decided to show an interest in the conversation, and asked, “Who did you see, Mama?”

Emori looked at Raven and laughed, although the humor didn’t reach her eyes, “Can we talk later? After she’s in bed?”

Raven nudged Emori’s shoulder, “I’m going to hold you to it.”

When Emori tiptoed out of the room she and Juno shared, closing the door softly, she wasn’t surprised to find Raven sitting on the couch, an insistent expression on her face. Emori sighed quietly and padded across the room.

“Spill,” Raven said, crossing her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow.

Emori let herself fall into the couch, and turned to face Raven, struggling again to find the words she needed. Finally,she exhaled loudly, “John showed up. He asked about Juno.”

Raven barked out a laugh that sounded more like a snarl, and bit out, “You have _got_ to be kidding me. _Murphy_ had the nerve to show up? Now? And he asked about Juno? He has some balls, I’ll give him that. I hope you told him to go to hell!” Raven took a quick breath, ready to continue her tirade when Emori interrupted.

“He is her father, Raven.” Emori felt her throat tighten. Thinking about Juno’s father, about _John,_ always made her heart twist in an uncomfortable way.

Raven laughed sardonically again, this time her eyes flashed dangerously. “Emori, you can’t be serious. This is the same guy who bailed the minute you told him you were pregnant, who lost your number and never responded to any of the thousands of times you tried to tell him about her. Who has never laid eyes on this beautiful, smart, feisty little girl. Who doesn’t even _know her name!”_ Suddenly Raven wasn’t laughing anymore, her face had gone hard, her expression angry, “He doesn’t _deserve_ to ask about her.”

Emori felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. She and Raven had had this fight before, and it never ended well. Raven had been fiercely protective of Emori and then Juno for years, and nothing made her defenses rise as quickly as John Murphy. “He wants to have a relationship with her, we talked for a little bit, and he has explained what happened. He wasn’t in a good place back then, neither of us were. But he’s doing better now.”

Raven scoffed. “Listen to yourself,” she bit back, “maybe you weren’t in a good place then either, but you stepped up and bettered yourself. For _her_. It isn’t the same thing.”

Emori stood up suddenly, “I’m not fighting about this anymore, Raven. He wants to get to know her, and I’m not going to deny her a father when she has one who is willing to be there. Hell, it’s more than I ever had.” Emori turned and marched to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her before Raven could formulate a response.

  
  


The week after their fight was the worst week of Raven’s life. She had never been unable to talk to Emori, and their tense cohabitation was putting Raven on edge. She had spent the last fifteen minutes staring at the same line of the mechanical guide she was trying to read, and still hadn’t understood a single word. Suddenly she heard keys in the lock and Juno’s lilting voice. 

“Auntie Raven!” the little girl called as she came barreling into the apartment, launching herself at Raven, barely missing her leg brace.

Raven felt her heart leap, and she smiled what felt like her first real smile in a week. “How are you doing, little love? Did you have a good day?”

Juno nestled into Raven’s lap, sighing contentedly, and declared, “I met my daddy today!”

Raven jerked her head up to meet Emori’s gaze, feigning a smile for Juno. “Wow, kiddo! That sounds like a good day. Why don’t you go play for a little while and then you can tell me all about it?”

Juno hummed in agreement and jumped off Raven’s lap before heading to the bedroom.

Raven watched her go, and then stilled when she heard Emori’s voice, quietly observing. “She was so excited to tell you, Raven. It’s all she talked about the whole way home.”

“I didn’t realize you had made plans to introduce them today,” was all Raven could manage to get out.

“Can we sit?” Emori motioned to the couch, silently pleading to be allowed to repair her closest friendship. “I don’t want to fight,” she added faintly.

Raven patted the spot next to her, trying in vain to ignore the sudden breathlessness she felt. 

“I’m sorry, Raven,” Emori breathed, leaning her head against Raven’s shoulder, in a movement that was so familiar to her after years of close friendship.

“No, I’m sorry,” Raven admitted, closing her eyes and relaxing for the first time in a week. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Emori laughed a short, bitter laugh. “Yes. No. Honestly, it was weird Rae.”

Raven felt her lips twitch involuntarily at Emori’s use of her nickname. 

“It was strange to watch him meet her, to suddenly be sharing her with another parent. To realize that he doesn’t know anything about her, and knowing that it was _his_ choice. Juno didn’t care of course, she doesn’t really understand the concept of a father, she was just happy to meet someone new and interesting. He was good with her though, and that was also weird to see.” Emori let out a breath that reminded Raven of a deflating balloon.

“What’s the plan going forward?” 

Emori shrugged. “Keep letting them interact, I guess. He says he wants to be a father, so I don’t see a reason right now to keep him from her. I would have given anything to have had a mother and a father.”

“Me too.” Raven’s voice was quiet, almost wistful. 

“I missed you,” Emori said simply, “I don’t want this to get in the way of our friendship again.”

Raven nodded, and slipped an arm around Emori’s shoulder, squeezing her tight.

  
  


“Are you sure you want me to come with you?” 

Emori rolled her eyes at Raven’s question, “Of course I want you to come. I asked you, didn’t I?”

Raven mumbled an unintelligible response and Emori shook her head in frustration. She didn’t understand why Raven was being so obtuse about coming along today to meet John, it had been a few weeks since she had started meeting him along with Juno. The reality that John was going to be more of a fixture in her life going forward was becoming more and more clear and Emori wanted to reconcile the most important people in her world without feeling like she was living dual lives. Raven, however, was the most stubborn person Emori had ever met, and she didn’t trust easily once that confidence had been broken.

Emori was still angry at John, despite what Raven liked to believe. The hurt she felt when she recalled what she thought they had had all those years ago waged a war with the reality of how he had acted when he had learned she was pregnant, and that hurt didn’t fade easily. Juno was innocent in this though, and she deserved the best she could have, which included both her parents. Now that John had begun to amend his mistakes, Emori felt it was in her daughter’s best interest, and her duty as a mother, to support John’s reentry into their lives. However, she could not ignore that their lives included Raven now, and that wasn’t going to change. Raven was the best friend, _the only real friend_ , Emori had ever had, and she relied on her as an important person in Juno’s life as much as in her own. She couldn’t lose Raven, and so she had to figure out how to blend her past and her present in a way that wouldn’t cause her daughter any pain.

Emori’s thoughts were interrupted by Raven stomping across the floor, her irritation still evident. “Where are we meeting again?”

Emori smiled, grabbing Juno’s hand and squeezing, “Juno here has requested pizza, so we are going to the pizza place down the street, the one we keep meaning to try.”

Raven slung her bag over her shoulder and nodded, “Alright then, let’s do it.”

Emori nodded, smiling slightly at Raven’s predictable obstinacy, and she followed out the door with Juno in tow.

  
  
  


Raven bit her tongue sharply, tasting blood, in an effort to stop herself from both saying smart ass comments and from punching Murphy right in his face. As much as she despised Murphy however, her friendship with Emori and adoration for Juno took priority so she reigned in her distaste for Murphy and pasted a smile that she hoped was convincing onto her face.

Juno took off running as soon as she saw her father, joyfully squealing, “Daddy!” and running into his arms. 

Emori slowed her pace slightly, and placed a gentle hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming today, it means the world to me to have you here. He may be her dad, but you’re our family.”

Raven’s smile turned genuine, “Anything for my favorite girls.”

Emori chuckled and made her way toward the booth where Murphy was getting Juno settled into a booster seat. When she got to the booth, Emori slid into the empty side, leaving a space for Raven. “Hello, John,” she said once they were settled 

Murphy smiled at Emori, offering a polite greeting, and then turned his gaze on Raven, “It’s good to see you again, Raven.”

Raven wanted to say all of the things she really felt, but instead muttered a, “likewise,” smoothly, then looked at Emori and said she had to use the bathroom and to order whatever kind of pizza she wanted before easing herself up and out of the booth.

Raven splashed handfuls of cold water on her face at the sink, focusing on controlling her breathing. She could do this, right? She could control her palpable rage at how Murphy had treated her friend, how he had ignored his own child until it suited him. After several more minutes of self-talk and attempting to hide the evidence of her irritation from her face, she headed back to the booth.

When Raven turned the corner, catching sight of the booth, she felt the air freeze in her lungs and she stopped dead in her tracks. Juno was smiling broadly, obviously talking a mile a minute although Raven was too far away to hear what the animated toddler was saying. Murphy had his hands resting over top of Emori’s hands over the top of the table, and Emori was smiling, her eyes brighter than Raven had seen them in weeks. Before she could think about what she should or shouldn’t do, what was right, or why she felt like the ground had suddenly disappeared from under her, Raven turned as fast as she could, and walked out of the restaurant.

  
  


“So what happened again?” Clarke asked, taking a sip of her beer.

Raven sighed heavily, and began telling Clarke everything that had happened since Emori had first come home after reuniting with Murphy. 

“So, you ran out of there?” Clarke asked incredulously when Raven had finished talking.

After nodding guiltily, Raven continued, “I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t believe she is jumping back into a relationship with him after everything that has happened.”

“But you don’t know that.” Clarke fixed a pointed look at Raven.

Raven’s silence said more than any number of words strung together. 

“So what is the real problem, Raven?” Clarke asked finally, “What are you _really_ so afraid of? Emori isn’t a child, she’s got a better head on her shoulders than most people half her age. I know you care about her, I know you all are the only real family each other has, but this is something she has to figure out on her own. You can’t do it for her.”

With a glum expression, Raven looked at Clarke and sardonically muttered, “When did you get to be so smart?”

Clarke smiled brightly, and feigned a curtsy with her hand over the bartop, “Blame Lexa. That’s what I do, she is full of philosophical arguments all the time.” 

“Must be so hard being you.” Raven stuck her tongue out, before laughing at Clarke’s reaction. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

“Anytime. Now let me finish and get out of here, Lexa has started training for a marathon, gross, and she wants me to go with her on her run today.”

“Oh god, better you than me,” Raven snickered.

  
  


Raven returned to the apartment feeling decidedly more morose than she had expected to feel after meeting Clarke. After a brief inspection revealed that Raven was the only occupant, her bad mood only continued to darken; she couldn’t believe Emori wasn’t back yet.If she wasn’t back yet then where did that mean she was? That thought, or the drinks she had consumed, made her stomach turn and she flopped down on her bed in an effort to quiet her tumultuous thoughts.

A door slamming startled Raven awake, and she sat up trying to shake away the fuzzy feeling in her head. A quick glance at her watch showed that she had been asleep for a few hours, longer than she expected. Staggering out of the bed, Raven dug around for a clean shirt and tiptoed out to the living room. 

Emori was just walking out of the room she shared with Juno, and closed the door quietly behind her, putting a finger to her lips to indicate Juno was asleep. She took a few steps toward the couch, before settling herself into the cushions and looking at Raven expectantly, “Where did you go, Raven?”

Raven chewed her lip, aware of how raw it already was, and dropped her gaze to the floor. She felt embarrassed, exposed, guilty. Emori looked more hurt than Raven could remember her looking in a long time, more hurt than she had ever looked because of Raven.

After several moments of silence, Emori whispered, “I can’t believe you just disappeared like that, Raven. I expect that from most people, but I never thought it would come from you. I’m going to bed now, it’s been a long day. I work tomorrow, so I don’t know when I will see you.” 

Emori pushed herself up from the couch, walked into her bedroom, and never looked at Raven once.

Raven cried herself to sleep for the first time in years.

  
  
  


“Not that I don’t value our friendship,” Clarke said, giving Raven an accusing look, “But why are you here? Isn’t Emori off today?”

Raven swallowed harshly, managing a quiet reply, “We had a fight.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow, “The other day when you dipped out on her? Jeez, I can’t imagine why she is upset with you. I told you that was a dumb move. Have you talked to her at all?”

“She hasn’t talked to me, outside of general niceties, since that night,” Raven moaned, hoping she didn’t sound too pathetic, “plus she’s been spending a lot more time with Murphy and Juno, so I haven’t seen her as much.”

Clarke opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again looking at Raven with a thoughtful expression. When Clarke finally spoke it was with a gentleness she didn’t normally possess. “Raven. You need to talk to her, figure out what’s going on, and figure out what is making you feel like this. I know you guys are friends, but I think there is something more at play here and until you figure it out and face it head on nothing is going to get better.”

“What if I can’t fix it, Clarke?” Raven said softly, almost a whimper, “What if she gets back together with him and forgets about me?”

Clarke looked at her with an intensity that made Raven shiver involuntarily, “Talk to her, Raven.”

Two days after her conversation with Clarke, Raven sat on the couch flipping mindlessly through the TV channels waiting for Emori to get home. According to the schedule posted on the fridge, Emori was scheduled to have gotten off work an hour earlier, and Raven was determined to sit down and have the conversation they so desperately needed. Raven had the day off, and spent it stress cleaning and cooking, in an effort to keep her mind off of the difficulty of the last several days.

By the time a key sounded in the lock, signaling that Emori was home, Raven’s nerves were shot. She hissed in pain as she jumped up from the couch a little too zealously, then waited for Emori to appear in the doorway.

Emori stopped in her tracks, and looked curiously at Raven once she swung the door open. Within seconds her face had changed, an impassive mask taking over her emotions. 

“Emori, hi, I made dinner, where’s Juno?” Raven was rambling, bordering on nonsensical. She clamped her mouth shut, waiting for Emori to respond.

Emori let her bag drop on the nearest surface, and then removed the covering she kept on her left arm when she was in public. “Juno is with John tonight for dinner. He is dropping her off in an hour,” She answered, “Are you going to run off again?”

Thoroughly chagrined, Raven dropped her gaze to the floor. “No. I was actually hoping we could talk tonight. Catch up. You know, try and get back to the way things used to be.” Her voice was quiet, uncertain.

Emori’s expression softened visibly, so suddenly that Raven would have laughed if she hadn’t been so on edge. “You said you made dinner?”

“Yes! I made your favorite!” Raven announced, smiling a real smile for the first time in days.

“Alright. Let me change my clothes real quick and then I’ll come out and we can eat and talk. It’s been a long day.”

Raven nodded, “I’ll grab some bowls.”

Emori let out a deep sigh when she finally came out from her room, clad in her most comfortable pair of sweatpants and an overly large long sleeved shirt. “My feet are aching,” she complained, wincing as she sat.

Raven patted her lap, “Give them here, I’ll rub them.”

Emori nodded, and closed her eyes in contentment. “Thanks Rae, I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

Raven was unprepared for the guilt she felt at the words, but she tried to brush it off, to focus on the fact that her friend was here, that they were finally going to talk. The problem was, she suddenly found the prospect of talking terrifying. All she wanted was to stay like this forever, her and Emori and of course Juno, and what did that all mean? Instead of talking, she hummed in agreement and waited to see if Emori would say more.

After dinner was finished and Emori’s feet were tucked up under her, she turned and looked at Raven expectantly, “You said you wanted to talk?”

Mouth suddenly dry, Raven fumbled over her words, internal panic overcoming rational thought. When Emori continued watching her expectantly, but with a soft expression, Raven finally opened up, “I’ve missed you so much, Emori. I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I know I’ve been a terrible friend, I feel so bad.” She took a deep breath, realizing she was rambling and trying to collect her emotions before they ran away with her, then quietly added, “I don’t want to lose you Mori.”

Eyes shining, Emori swallowed hard, “Lose me? I’m not going anywhere, Raven.”

“You’ve been spending so much time with Murphy. I figured you two were going to work it out, and then you wouldn’t want to be here anymore. You wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.” Raven felt the tears threaten to spill out, and squeezed her eyes shut.

“That’s what this is about?” Emori leaned closer to Raven, grabbing her shoulders and angling her so that they were face to face, “John is only back in my life so that he can get to know Juno, not so that he and I can rekindle anything, Raven. I don’t feel anything for him anymore, but he does deserve a chance to be a father.”

“I just don’t want to lose you.” Raven repeated, sounding pitiful, even to herself, but the more she started the less she could stop the emotions.

“We are a family,” Emori said with conviction, “you have _always_ been there for me, for Juno. That kind of family, that kind of _love_ doesn’t just go away because the family grows or changes. Don’t you trust me more than that?”

Nodding and finally giving up the fight to keep her tears contained, Raven lets herself fall into Emori’s embrace fully and without reserve.

  
  


“Green! Take that, Echo!” Raven crowed triumphantly, brandishing her wild draw four card like it was a prize.

Echo groaned comically, took a shot from the whiskey bottle at the table, and began pulling cards from the pile as play passed to Clarke.

Clarke and Lexa had thrown together an impromptu game night, featuring their favorite enhanced game they eloquently called Drunk Uno, and inviting other mutual friends. 

Anya cursed sharply after being forced to draw at least eight cards from the pile in desperate search of a yellow, and Raven chuckled alongside Octavia. “Keep laughing you two,” Anya barked out; she was easily the most competitive of the group, which never failed to amuse everyone else.

“It’s too bad Emori couldn’t come,” Lincoln spoke up, watching the antics of the others with his typical quiet observance.

Raven felt her mouth involuntarily twitch up into a smile at the mention of her best friend and roommate, “She wanted to be here, but she had a shift and couldn’t get out of it.”

Lincoln nodded, and Clarke spoke up, “How is everything going with her and Murphy? You guys doing better?”

“We talked the other night, things are definitely better, we are all just trying to adjust to our new normal. Murphy has been around more, he’s spending more time with Juno, learning how to be a dad I guess. It’s still weird, and I don’t trust him at all, but mostly we just agree to give each other space and that works out well.”

Clarke and Lincoln nodded sympathetically, but Echo and Anya looked at each other with a side glance that would have been less obvious if they hadn’t each already gotten past the point of tipsy. A moment later Anya blurted out, “Why don’t you just admit your feelings and kiss her already. We all know you’ve been in love with each other forever.” The whole table went deathly silent, Anya dramatically clapped a hand to her mouth. Echo began laughing maniacally, and Lexa sighed emphatically, “Clarke, this is why Uno and alcohol don’t mix.”

Hours later, as Raven sat in the quiet apartment contemplating the events of the game night, she couldn’t stop thinking of Emori and what her feelings for her best friend meant. She loved Emori, sure. They had been through so much together both before and since Juno had been born, they were a family in every sense of the word, but did that mean that she was _in love_ with Emori? Before her thoughts could overwhelm her too much more, the sound of the front door opening signaled that Emori was home from her shift, and Raven looked up expectantly.

When Emori walked in with Juno asleep in her arms, her face softened when she noticed Raven. “Hey there. Did you have fun?”

Raven walked towards the door, holding her arms out, “It was alright, do you want me to take her?”

“Sure, thanks, she fell asleep two minutes before we got here, go figure.” 

Raven smiled knowingly, and took Juno, readjusting her as she walked toward the bedroom. “I’ll be right back,” she called back to Emori who was taking her shoes off.

Thankfully Juno never woke up, and as Raven closed the door softly behind her, she stopped to watch Emori unobserved. A warm feeling started in her core and intensified the longer she watched Emori move around the kitchen quietly humming to herself. Abruptly, Raven felt the understanding of her feelings for Emori wash over her with the force of a tsunami. Her body moved on autopilot, and before she knew it she was standing in front of Emori. With a perplexed look, Emori turned and cocked her head, “What are you-”

Without thinking, without worrying about repercussions or ex-boyfriends or anything but the girl, her _best friend_ , in front of her, Raven leaned forward and kissed Emori softly.

At first, Emori stilled as if confused. Raven felt a jolt of fear run down her, worried she had made a mistake, but then Emori let out a soft moan and leaned deeper into the kiss. When Raven felt Emori’s lips curl up in a smile, she traced Emori’s bottom lip with her tongue and felt electricity explode through her body. Raven sighed with relief, with pleasure, and ran her hands down Emori’s body, settling on her hips and pulling her close. 

All too quickly, Emori gave a final, chaste kiss and took a half step back, trapping Raven in her gaze. “Raven,” she started, a small smile playing on her lips, “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

A giggle exploded from Raven’s throat, and she felt so dizzy with relief she thought she might pass out. When she finally spoke, she was amazed at how breathless she felt. “I took a chance,” she spoke simply, “and I hoped you would feel the same.”

Emori’s eyes shone with happiness, with calmness, with _love_. “Raven, I’ve felt the same for years.”

“If I had known that was what kissing you felt like,” Raven whispered, now holding Emori’s face tenderly in her hands, “then I would have done this a long time ago.” Leaning in again, Raven captured Emori in another searing kiss, whining softly when their teeth made contact. When she finally pulled back, Raven could see the desire darkening Emori’s eyes. She caressed the other woman’s cheek, unable to believe what had just happened.

For several moments they stared at each other with unbridled awe at the new turn of events, and then they practiced kissing until dinner was ready.

  
  
  


“When will Murphy be here again?” Raven called out from her bedroom where she was getting dressed.

“He should be here in ten minutes,” Emori responded back, “Are you almost ready?”

Raven appeared in her bedroom door, smiling broadly at Emori and pulling on her leather jacket, “Yes, dear.”

Emori stuck her tongue out and then turned to help Juno find her bag.

“You gonna have fun with your dad, squirt?” Raven asked, ruffling Juno’s hair as she passed by.

“We’re going to the playground!” Juno squealed, spinning around in circles.

Emori passed a look to Raven, before they both smiled warmly at the excited little girl. As Juno ran back to her bed to grab one last stuffed animal, Raven sidled over to Emori’s side and squeezed Emori’s hand gently, “I’m excited to spend tonight with you and our other friends.”

Emori leaned into Raven gently, murmuring, “I’m looking forward to adult conversation, though I’m not excited about having to explain this to everyone.”

Raven turned to Emori in confusion, “What do you mean? No one is going to give us any trouble. Well, except maybe Murphy, oh God do we have to tell Murphy?” 

Emori can’t help the giggle that escapes. “Eventually, Raven. Yes we will have to tell him eventually. And I know they won’t give us trouble, I just don’t want them making a big deal about this. What we have started is for us, I don’t need everyone else to tell me how I feel about you.”

“And how do you feel about me?” Raven can’t help but smile flirtatiously, every day spent with Emori in this newfound way is even better than the last.

Emori smirked, leaning in close enough to feel Raven’s breath on her lips, , “Like falling in love with my best friend is something I should have done a long time ago.”

Raven shuddered, desire and _love_ , coursing through her, and then she remembered where they were, and who else was in the apartment. “You are going to pay for that later,” she growled playfully, pinching Emori lightly on the arm, “I’ll go check on Juno so we can get ready to go.”

When they walked into Clarke and Lexa’s townhouse that evening, Raven ran her tongue over her kiss swollen lips and smiled to herself, before squeezing Emori’s hand and smiling broadly. “Ready to face the music?”

Emori looked a little green, but nodded slightly, not releasing her grip on Raven’s hand at all.

“Hey guys!” Anya called out, noticing them as she walked past the foyer’s entrance, then, “HOLY SHIT IT HAPPENED! Echo you owe me twenty bucks!”

Emori closed her eyes, rested her head on Raven’s shoulder and sighed. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” she whispered faintly.

“Mori, that cat was never in the bag, trust me. Apparently we are much more oblivious to our feelings than our friends.”

Emori kissed Raven softly, sweetly, “At least we did eventually figure it out.”

Before Raven could answer, all their friends crowded into the much too small entryway, 

chattering excitedly.

Clarke hugged them both, offering delighted congratulations. Echo, Octavia, and Anya argued over whatever bet had been made and who had won out, and Lexa stood back with Lincoln, both smiling warmly, sincerely pleased to see their friends had found happiness.

“Alright, alright, yes Emori and I finally figured out what you all _obviously_ already knew. Can we eat now?” Raven called out over the din, refusing to let go of Emori and smiling so hard she thought her face might crack.

Lexa clapped her hands loudly, always the voice of authority, “You heard them! Quit gawking and let’s get dinner. I’ve been told we have a game of Drunk Uno to get to after this.”

Emori thrust her arm up in the air, clearly in celebration, “Yes! I missed the last game!”

Raven shook her head, laughing as her eyes met those of her friends, beyond grateful for how her life had turned out. 

Raven smiled against Emori’s lips, relishing the taste of Emori’s chapstick and the coffee she drank with dinner, still unable to believe that she was actually _kissing_ Emori. As she went to move her hand down Emori’s arm, Raven’s heart stopped when she heard the unmistakable click of a bedroom door opening. Raven felt her whole body still, before she jerked away from Emori’s warm embrace to sit on the opposite side of the couch, hands under her thighs.

Emori looked considerably less frazzled, leaving Raven feeling jealous. “What’s wrong, Juno?” Emori called softly. 

“I had a bad dream, Mama,” Juno’s bottom lip stuck out, quivering pathetically.

Emori patted the seat next to her, shooting Raven an apologetic glance, “Come here, baby.”

Juno snuggled up to Emori’s side, but then looked back at Raven. “You too,” Juno commanded, “I want you to snuggle too, please. Mama, me, and you, Auntie Raven, all my family.”


End file.
